This book is so interesting so far , the pace is so jarring between Leah’s shorter chapters revealing so little so slowly about what has happened to her, while time skips ahead so quickly in Miri’s chapters with seemingly no progress to improve the situation they find themselves in. Both perspectives are gripping and claustrophobic but certainly in very different ways. I’m finding Miri’s more full of dread than Leah’s, despite how much more frightening Leah’s situation would be in reality, because Miri’s captures so well this very specific experience of watching a loved one struggling in the grip of serious mental illness and feeling unable to help them. There are things she could do, like forcing her to go to a hospital, but any of those options involve ignoring her autonomy and going against her wishes and that is such a scary and overwhelming line to judge when to cross. It feels frustrating to feel like a clear solution would be for Miri to just talk to her, but there is nothing like trying to have a conversation with someone who is incapable of having it, for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with you and that you can’t fix. This horrible feeling like rejection, but it isn’t rejection because they’re not hearing you and they’re not choosing this, and you know it is worse for them than it is for you. Julia Armfield has captured that feeling of isolation and pressure perfectly and it’s so full of grief and I just hope we get to the hope eventually 🥲

One of my favorite end-of-year activities with students is a passion speech. They choose something they love and spend time convincing the rest of us to love it too. But before that, I have them do a “rant” activity.

No grammar rules. No structure. Just pure chaos. They can complain about anything they can’t stand.

This year’s rants thus far have included some great topics: Caillou, Wapol from One Piece, and, one of my personal favorites to bring here, Hatchet.

The student said, “If I had to read another line about that dude staring at the lake or eating berries, I was going to buy a hatchet just to throw it at the book.”

I always end up in tears by the time I finish reading all of their pieces. But, now I need to know, what book would you stand on a hill and scream about at the top of your lungs?? Or if you just want to rant about something, what would it be??